1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a medical fluid management apparatus having a plurality of processor systems in which fluid is transported via a fluid line between a patient and a fluid treatment component and/or a fluid source.
In this connection, fluid management apparatus are in particular understood to be apparatus for the leading, treatment and/or distribution of liquids and/or gases.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many technical medical apparatus of a higher degree of complexity are assembled from individual functional modules. This is increasingly also the case with fluid management apparatus, in particular with fluid treatment apparatus such as haemotherapy apparatus, in which a fluid of a patient is led via a fluid line to a fluid treatment component, treated by the fluid treatment component and returned back to the patient via the fluid line which can be divided into an arterial and a venous branch. A modern haemodialysis unit includes, for example, a dialysate preparation sub-unit, an ultra-filtration unit and a haemotherapy sub-unit. Such a haemotherapy unit is the subject of DE 198 49 787 C1 of the applicant.
Particularly high demands are naturally made on the operating safety of medical fluid management apparatus for the treatment of patient fluids or for the transport of a fluid to a patient. In this connection, it is of advantage if the apparatus consists of part components or modules which are separate from one another and which each have to meet clearly defined objects. Each module has for its own respective object area reserve systems and troubleshooting routines by which it can be ensured that the module can also satisfy its object when another system fails. It has been found that such a troubleshooting functions substantially more reliably than a centrally controlled system.
Another advantage of fluid management apparatus with a modular design is that their respective hardware configuration can be flexibly adapted to the application purpose. For example, additional measurement and monitoring units can be provided at the customer's request. The performance capability of the individual modules can also be coordinated with the type of application.
The different modules of such a fluid management apparatus typically have a plurality of micro-processors. Both the measurement units and the functional units are largely fitted with their own processor systems. Each processor system requires an individual operating software which is stored in a memory belonging to the processor system.
Even if the medical fluid management apparatus is not intended to consist of a plurality of modules, at least two processor systems are often located in the apparatus in this case for safety reasons. A first processor system takes over the actual control tasks, a second process system takes over the monitoring function with respect to the functioning of the first processor system.
The operating system must be replaced or updated from time to time in medical fluid management apparatus. Such a software update can be necessary for a plurality of reasons such as the elimination of implementation errors in the software or a change in or extension of the functional area of the software, for example by adding a new option. Furthermore, changes in the software of such a fluid management apparatus can result due to customer requests or to general technical or medical progress.
The design of a medical fluid management apparatus having a plurality of processor systems now has the disadvantage here that the operating software of each processor system has to be individually replaced by the later version. For this reason, it is necessary for the carrying out of a software update in a modern medical fluid management apparatus that specially trained technicians take up work on the medical fluid management apparatus with a plurality of update programs in order to load the software programs required for the respective hardware configuration into the apparatus. Such a manually effected software update is therefore very time consuming and expensive.
Various publications from other technical areas deal with the carrying out of software updates for processor systems. A so-called activation circuit is known from EP 0 457 940 A 1 which can be connected to a monitor in order to load a program code or a test code onto the monitor.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,473, the reprogramming of a cardiac pacemaker is described, wherein different programs or data can be transferred to the cardiac pacemaker in dependence on specific parameters.
In DE 44 14 597 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,847, computer networks comprising a central computer are proposed, wherein the central computer manages the software and its updating of the workstations.
A computer network is known from DE 44 04 544 C2 with whose aid target computers can be pre-configured with a prepared operating system which is made available by a supply unit.